Personality dynamics in the workplace: An overview of emerging literatures and future research needs

Abstract Personality is increasingly recognized as a key factor in the psychology of work behavior. Traditional perspectives on personality in the workplace emphasize its stable, dispositional quality in differentiating reliably among workers, predicting valued behavior, and accounting for the continuity of self-identity. The current chapter aims to advance the understanding and utility of personality in organizational settings from the perspective of personality dynamics. Following definitional development, representative theories and empirical findings bearing on personality dynamics in the workplace are summarized under (1) dispositional change, (2) person-situation interactions and situational specificity, (3) personality states, (4) personality and career development, and (5) self-regulation approaches to work motivation. Contributions of personality dynamics to the science of work behavior are identified in light of a proposed model emphasizing behavioral evaluation. We close by articulating research needs serving continued development of personality dynamics at work.